Effect of Dietary Supplementation of Brewer's Yeast and GroBiotic®-A on Growth,Immune Responses,and Low-Salinity Tolerance of Pacific White Shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei Cultured in Recirculating Systems

Two separate trials were conducted in clean recirculating systems at salinities of 32.9 (optimal) and 2 ppt (low-salinity challenge) to evaluate brewer's yeast and GroBiotic®-A, a commercial prebiotic, as dietary supplements for growth and health management of Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei. The growth-promoting influences of brewer's yeast or GroBiotic®-A previously observed with fish were not demonstrated in these trials with shrimp, when each component was supplemented at 2% or 5% of the diet. No significant dietary effects on hematological and immunological responses—including total hemocyte count, hemolymph protein, phenoloxidase, hemocyte respiratory burst, and clearance efficiency of Vibrio harveyi—were observed in shrimp cultured at full strength salinity (30 ppt) in feeding trial 1 after a 10 week period. In a second feeding trial, dietary supplementation of GroBiotic®-A improved survival of shrimp cultured at low-salinity (2 ppt). Although the mechanism(s) for enhanced survival under low-salinity conditions by dietary immunostimulants or prebiotics have not been identified, these observations indicate potential use of prebiotics such as GroBiotic®-A for shrimp cultured in less than optimal environments.     

中国母乳低聚糖的研究进展和现状

母乳低聚糖（human milk oligosaccharides,HMOs）是一类存在于人乳中的复杂混合低聚糖,是母乳中的第三大营养物质,在婴幼儿生长发育中起到重要作用。目前已鉴定出超过200种不同的母乳低聚糖。天然的母乳低聚糖混合物的不同组成和分布,反映了母亲的遗传基因特性（如：路易斯血型）、哺乳阶段、生活方式、饮食和生活地域等的不同。本文对母乳低聚糖对母乳喂养儿的健康起到有益作用的一些研究和文献进行了总结和评述。关于母乳低聚糖,尤其是中国妈妈乳汁中的母乳低聚糖的含量和特性分布的信息非常有限,因此,在中国有必要强化研究母乳低聚糖结构和功能的关系,建立中国妈妈的母乳低聚糖数据库,以期形成一个可靠的科学依据和明确的指导方针来改善婴儿配方食品。     

Growth performance,carcass criteria,and serum biochemical parameters of broiler chickens supplemented with either synbiotic or prebiotic under hot climatic conditions

ABSTRACT

1. Two separate experiments were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of either prebiotic or synbiotic on growth performance, carcass yield, organ weights, and serum metabolic profile of broilers under hot climatic conditions.

2. In experiment 1, 150 1-d-old Ross 308 male broiler chickens were fed dietary synbiotic (Biomin® IMBO, 0, 1 or 1.5 g kg^?1 of the starter diets and 0, 0.5 or 0.75 g kg^?1 of the grower diets) for 6 weeks. In experiment 2, 150 1-d-old Ross 308 male broiler chickens were fed dietary prebiotic (Mannan oligosaccharide 0, 0.5 or 1 g kg^?1 of the starter diets and 0, 0.25 or 0.5 g kg^?1 of the grower diets) for 6 weeks. Each treatment had 10 replicates containing 5 broiler chickens each.

3. Supplementation of synbiotic at 1 or 1.5 g kg^?1 feed to broiler diets during 1–21 d and 0.5 or 0.75 g kg^?1 feed, respectively, during 22–42 d improved (P < 0.01) body weight gain, feed conversion ratio (FCR), and decreased (P < 0.01) abdominal fat, serum total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels in experiment 1.

4. Similarly, supplementation of the prebiotic at 0.5 or 1 g kg^?1 in broiler diets during 1–21 d and 0.25 or 0.50 g kg^?1 feed, respectively, during 22–42 d improved (P < 0.01) body weight gain, FCR, and decreased (P < 0.01) abdominal fat, serum cholesterol, and LDL-cholesterol levels in experiment 2.     

Comparative effects of using black seed (Nigella sativa), cumin seed (Cuminum cyminum), probiotic or prebiotic on growth performance,blood haematology and serum biochemistry of broiler chicks

A 42‐day trial was conducted to compare the effects of the following seven experimental diets, which varied in black seed, cumin seed, probiotic or prebiotic concentrations, on the broiler chicks: control (no additives), diet BS₁ (4 g/kg black seed), diet BS₂ (8 g/kg black seed), diet CS₁ (4 g/kg cumin seed), diet CS₂ (8 g/kg cumin seed), diet Pro (1 g/kg probiotic Primalac^®) and diet Pre (2 g/kg prebiotic Fermacto^®). A total of 420 1‐day‐old male broiler chicks, initially weighing an average of 43 g, were distributed into 28 floor pens at a stocking density of 15 birds per pen. At 28 day of age, the body weight in the birds fed diets BS₂, CS₂ and Pro was significantly higher than in the control group, but final body weight was not affected. Additionally, the birds fed diets BS₂, Pro and Pre exhibited better feed conversion ratio than control birds from 0 to 42 day of age. Diets BS₂, CS₂ and Pro also statistically increased the relative weight of thymus and bursa of Fabricius, whereas only diet Pro decreased the abdominal fat percentage compared with control diet. Regarding the haematological parameters, feeding diet BS₂ yielded a significant increase in red blood cell count, haemoglobin concentration and haematocrit percentage compared with control diet. Serum total cholesterol and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in the birds fed diets BS₂, Pro and Pre were also significantly lower than in the birds fed the control diet. Without exception, no diets affected feed intake, internal organs weights, carcass characteristics, antibody titres against Newcastle and influenza viruses and leucocyte subsets. In general, current study showed promising results regarding the use of spice additives as growth and health promoters, especially at higher levels of their incorporation in the diets, which were comparable to the probiotic‐ or prebiotic‐containing diets.     

Effects of synbiotic containing Lactobacillus plantarum 7–40 and galactooligosaccharide on the growth performance of white shrimp,Litopenaeus vannamei

This study aimed to develop a synbiotic combination with probiotic, Lactobacillus plantarum 7–40 and one of three prebiotics, fructooligosaccharide (FOS), galactooligosaccharide (GOS) and mannan oligosaccharide (MOS). The best in vitro growth was observed when probiotic was cultured in the medium containing either FOS or GOS as the sole of carbon source. The analysis of enzyme activity revealed that GOS induced the highest activities of protease and β‐galactosidase of probiotic. Based on the findings, probiotic + GOS were selected as synbiotic to evaluate if it could promote the growth of white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei. For this, four diets, including a basal diet with no GOS or probiotic (control), 0.4% GOS (PRE), 10⁸ CFU probiotic kg^?1 (PRO) and 0.4% GOS in combination with 10⁸ CFU probiotic kg^?1 (SYN), were fed to shrimp for 60 days, and then the growth performance, intestinal microbiota (including total Vibrio counts, VBCs; and lactic acid bacteria, LAB) and digestive enzyme (including protease, leu‐aminopeptidase and β‐galactosidase) were evaluated. The weight gain (WG) of shrimp fed the PRO did not significantly differ from those of control (p > .05). Shrimp fed the SYN had significantly higher WG compared with the other treatments (p < .05). In addition, the SYN‐fed shrimp had significantly higher LAB and protease, leu‐aminopeptidase and β‐galactosidase activity (p < .05). The lowest presumptive Vibrio count (VBC) was also observed in intestines of SYN‐fed shrimp. Therefore, we suggested that Lac. plantarum 7–40+ GOS can be used as a synergistic synbiotic for shrimp culture.     

Dietary chicory root and chicory inulin trigger changes in energetic metabolism,stress prevention and cytoskeletal proteins in the liver of growing pigs – a proteomic study

Currently, a wide array of plant preparations exerting health‐promoting properties are commonly used as feed additives. Among them, Cichorium intybus L. have gained considerable attention as a source of compounds showing prebiotic character. Large body of evidence suggests that products of prebiotic fermentation (short‐chain fatty acids) may influence the expression of genes encoding liver enzymes involved in the regulation of energetic metabolism. Given the above, the present study was aimed at estimating the influence of a diet supplemented with chicory root or water extract of chicory inulin on liver proteome in growing pigs. The study was performed on 24 castrated male piglets (PIC × Penarlan P76). Animals were assigned to three equal groups (n = 8) and fed cereal‐based isoenergetic diets: control and supplemented with 2% of inulin extract from chicory root or 4% of dried chicory root. Liver proteins were separated using two‐dimensional electrophoresis, followed by the identification of statistically valid protein spots with the aid of MALDI‐TOF mass spectrometry. Both experimental factors significantly modulated the expression of liver proteins associated with energetic metabolism, particularly those involved in cholesterol and triglyceride metabolism. Additionally, both dietary additives induced increased expression of proteins involved in hepatocyte protection against oxidative stress. In the present study, we have shown for the first time that diet supplementation with dried chicory root or inulin caused significant changes in the expression of liver cytoskeletal proteins. Close attention should be paid to the downregulation of cytokeratin 18, hepatic acute phase protein that can enhance the anti‐inflammatory properties of inulin‐type fructans.     

Supplementation of Selenium Nanoparticles-Loaded Chitosan Improves Production Performance,Intestinal Morphology,and Gut Microflora in Broiler Chickens

The current study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs), combined or loaded with chitosan (COS), in broiler chickens reared under standard management protocols. The parameters under investigation were production performance, organ development, components of the intestinal barrier, and ileal microbial count. Two hundred and forty day-old chicks were raised in five groups, with each group containing eight replicates (n=6/replicate). The control group received a basal diet whereas the other four groups received basal diets supplemented with SeNPs (0.5 mg/kg), COS (200 mg/kg), SeNPs+COS (0.5 mg/kg SeNPs + 200 mg/kg COS), and SeNPs-loaded COS (SeNPs-L-COS) (200 mg/kg) respectively. On day 35, two birds/replicate were sampled to collect the viscera under investigation. The results revealed that dietary inclusion of SeNPs-L-COS increased (p<0.05) the body weight gain and improved (p<0.05) feed conversion ratio. Similarly, SeNPs-L-COS supplementation increased (p<0.05) the small intestinal villus surface area as well as the count of acidic goblet cells and intraepithelial lymphocytes when compared with the control group. Whereas the total goblet cell count was higher (p<0.05) in the small intestines of both the SeNPs+COS and SeNPs-L-COS groups. Microbial analysis of ileal contents also revealed an increase (p<0.05) in Lactobacilli species count with a concurrent decrease (p<0.05) in Escherichia coli count in the SeNPs-L-COS group when compared with the COS and control groups. Based on the results of the current trial, we can conclude that supplementation with SeNPs-L-COS is a superior combination for promoting the gut health and performance of broilers.